Summer’s stoRY: A COming of age with the cochlear implant

27 minutes

written by:

summer crider

Produced by:

Munroe multimedia,

2002

a collection of VIDEOS

        about growing up

            with the cochlear implant

Produced by Michael Munroe

Total viewing time: 64 minutes

Language: ASL & Voice, Open Captioned

© 2008, Summer Crider

From ASL Access

Video Review

by Richard L. Cohen, M.S.

Nationally Certified Deaf Interpreter and ASL Instructor

© 2003

When I was asked to review this video, I let out a deep sigh, assuming it was going to be another one of those propaganda spiels focusing narrowly on the ear and the joy of sound. It came as a pleasant surprise that the video's focus was on the whole person, with the impact of the cochlear implant often more symbolic than physical.

The video will not satisfy either the extreme proponents or opponents of cochlear implants. Instead, it will inform the public about the experience of one profoundly deaf person, Summer Crider, from birth to the time she started college. It's significant that this story is primarily Summer's own, even though it includes interviews with her family, friends and teachers. The technical details on the cochlear implant device itself are mercifully brief, simply explaining the basic functions, with the benefit of clear graphics.

What struck a chord is that Summer and I have somewhat parallel experiences. Both of us became deaf at the age of three from spinal meningitis, went to a school for the deaf at an early age, failed to adjust at a regular mainstream school, transferred back to a school for the deaf, and finally found all-important, precious peer support within the Deaf community. Summer's story mirrors much of Deaf folklore, which follows the thread of a deaf person feeling isolated and depressed until the Deaf community is discovered.

Summer had a love/hate relationship with her cochlear implant until she gained emotional stability and confidence through her peers within the Deaf community, finally accepting the benefits of the device instead of seeing it as a stigma. In the end, Summer states that she hopes to become the bridge between the "Hearing" and Deaf communities, as she grew up in both. In actuality, it seems to me, this video may be an encouraging new signpost to the Deaf community, which shows that the lightly traveled bridges have always been there.

Everyone - regardless of hearing status - who watches this video with an open mind will come to realize that Summer's Story shows that the cochlear implant is simply a tool which may be used within the cherished Deaf community.

THIS DVD FEATURES:

REVIEWS:

Through Deaf eyes segment:

4 minutes

produced by:  Larry hott,

Aired on PBS,

March 2007

Summer’s LIFE update:

6 minutes

Written by:

Summer crider,

Produced by:

Munroe multimedia,

2008

Includes two segments from the 2007 PBS documentary in which Summer was featured. Some of the clips from this segments are not featured in the other videos, including her interview with the filmmaker.

A teenager's experience growing up with the Cochlear Implant. While this program uses several scenes from Summer's Song to describe her family's choice for a cochlear implant at age 6, Summer's Story portrays the challenges Summer faced as an elementary school student mainstreamed in the hearing world and her interactions with the deaf community as a high school student and graduate of the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind.

A personal statement from Summer describing her life after high school graduation. This is a follow up to her “Summer’s Story” documentary. Here, she explains her immersion in different cultures, learning new languages, and getting an unique experience from being a student at Gallaudet University, the world’s only Liberal Arts University for the Deaf.

Born as a hearing child in a world filled with music, Summer lost her hearing due to Spinal Meningitis at the age of three. This program was produced by Summer's mother, Linda Crider, and traces Summer's use of hearing aids, tactile aides, speech therapy, auditory training and the final decision for a cochlear implant at age 6.

DISCLAIMER:

This DVD does not give any right or wrong answers; this documentary simply shows the story of an individual's experience. Please keep an open mind and know that not all cochlear implant experiences are the same. This is to be used to prompt discussion and healthy dialogue among families, doctors, students, teachers, and individuals.

No duplication of this DVD is permitted.